Dent in tank - how remove surface rust?
 

I have a dent on the side of my tank. The colour is starting to flake and there is rust as well.

How do I remove surface rust and stop the damage from getting any worse? As long as I stop the rusting process I am happy.

I am thinking I should sandpaper off the rust, then apply some sort of rust inhibitor (ACF-50?) and then look for some sort of black filler to make it look a bit nicer? Is it as easy as this?

Any advice much appreciated.

Iron to rust
 

I agree with your priorities for dealing with the dent.

Funny old thing, but related threads popup at the end of every thread and one for yours is here; you might like its' advice:-

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...nt-repair-6321

Personally, I would go to a bodywork shop - there are lots around for cars - and take their advice about the preparation of the repair.
Simple sandpapering will very likely leave some rust in the depths of the dent, and you can guess what happens later.
Rust is the natural state of the iron in the steel, so if it can rust it will.

Thanks Dave, good find on the link (I did do a search but obviously didn't look well enough :innocent:).

Talked to SRS Motorcycles in Hammersmith, they suggested sandpapering and painting over, I got this advice from a car repair shop also. What I think I will do is to

1. Sandpaper it to get rid of all rust I can
2. Spray it with rust inhibitor
3. NOT paint it, but fit a leather tank cover - this way I can monitor what's going on with the dent situation from time to time

Good idea?

just a personal view of rust
 

Maybe I am just too fussy, but the sandpaper will not get into the depths of the dent no matter how hard you try - the rust is there on a microscopic scale; some version of sand/bead blasting would do a much better job of the preparation; the fuel tank is a small item so it could be taken off and put into a blasting "tank" (not sure what they are called, but I have had a go on one - excellent clean metal afterward).
Yes, a chemical inhibitor can be useful I suppose: I have tried them in the past on car bodywork but not recently.
Paint is very effective anyway in multiple coats to build the thickness, if you want to save on the cost of a cover: if the rust does start to show, it will be the warning to start over again!!

Waxoil
 

If you are going to put a tank cover on then you can sand the dent, as Dave said you will find it hard to remove all the rust but you can use waxoil which soaks into any remaining rust and stops it. Just retreat it now and then.
Ask Land Rover owners how good it is.
Cheers
Ian:thumbup1:

It sounds very effective, but I am looking for a solution that is as cheap as possible, yet might not neglect the state of the bike. :redface:

Hammerite! That is what the autodealer had recommended, but I had forgotten the name. I searched for waxoil on Halfords and this one came up... Hammerite Waxoyl Rustproofing Aerosol Black sounds pretty good. Cheers for that.

Yep,
Hammerite is good stuff: I have a can of black and another of matt silver in my shed, so I don't know why I didn't remember that paint either!
You don't get a great finish with a brush, but it sounds like that doesn't matter.

With a few layers of preparation and paint, you could save on the cost of the cover or just fit one to hide the flaw - take it a step at a time?

Repair the dent too!
 

I just finished redoing a tank that I got on Ebay for my airhead. Way worse than yours. As suggested above, it is a good idea to bead blast the rust if you have access to a blaster, then I would patch the dent with a little body putty. Dry and wet sand the putty after it sets up until it is feathered in and very, very smooth, then paint it. Still a cheap fix and the dent is gone. The metal has to be bare and very clean... nothing on it... in order to have the body putty bond well.

Very Bad idea. Just looking at it will not solve the problem, it will continue to rust and never get any better. Was it Neil Young who said Rust Never Sleeps? Bead or sand blast it if you can get the equipment and get some paint on it to prevent the rust returning.